


under your skin

by oddeyejinsol



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, biologist jinsol, tattoo artist haseul
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-19
Updated: 2019-08-19
Packaged: 2020-09-07 17:13:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20313088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oddeyejinsol/pseuds/oddeyejinsol
Summary: jinsol discovers a love for tattoos (and a crush on her tattoo artist).





	under your skin

**Author's Note:**

> miss michelle @strapseul on twt came up with this beautiful prompt and i just had to write it!! <33 enjoy

As is the case with most of Jinsol’s questionable ideas, this one is inspired by Chaewon. 

She knows she should be a stricter older sister, shouldn’t support all of Chaewon’s bad decisions. Especially not a tattoo three days after she turns 18. To be fair, when Chaewon tells her about it she’s ready to rant about how she’s going to be unemployed for life and regret it forever, but that’s until she sees it: a tiny, tasteful butterfly on her shoulder, easily hidden from view. It’s a glimmering teal with white highlights like dewdrops on the wings, and it’s so beautiful and lifelike that Jinsol swears it’s about to take flight any minute. 

“Where did you even get this?” she asks in a mix of awe and contempt, tempted to brush her fingers over it, just to see if the wings feel all papery and thin like a real butterfly. 

Chaewon smacks her hand away before she can dare. “No touching till it heals!” she says sternly, sounding like the older sister between them. “And it’s this tattoo parlor where Hyejoo’s sister works. I got a friends and family discount cause of that. Isn’t it sick?” 

Jinsol sighs. “Yes, it’s sick,” she says, resigned. “Although mom is going to kill you. Like, _ kill _ kill you. Like chop up your body and spread it across the country.”

“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Chaewon says easily, slipping her sleeve back up to cover the tattoo. “You won’t tell her, right?” She blinks her big eyes, knowing Jinsol can't resist.

“Yeah, yeah,” Jinsol grumbles. “God, I’m such a terrible influence.”

“True,” Chaewon says cheerfully. “Let me influence you for once, then — you should get one too!”

“A butterfly? Yeah, I’m not sure the drunk-white-girl-on-vacation vibe is my thing,” Jinsol scoffs. “No offence.”

Chaewon rolls her eyes. “Not a butterfly, stupid. A tattoo in general. Here, I’ll send you the artist’s Instagram, she’s a total badass.”

Jinsol brushes off the idea immediately — despite her many ear piercings, she’s actually not too fond of pain, and she’s far too indecisive to get something on her body forever. What if she wakes up and hates it one day, like Chaewon inevitably will? No, she thinks, tattoos are just not for her. 

That is, until she happens to glance at the Instagram page Chaewon sends her, just out of curiosity. 

The artist, who goes by whitedove0818, probably has more talent in her pinky finger than Jinsol has in her entire body. Her page is full of art that honestly looks like it should be framed in a museum somewhere, not on people’s bodies. Her specialty seems to be animals, both of the normal and magical kind — there are several beloved pets as well as fantastical creatures like mermaids and unicorns. Still, every single tattoo is as stunning as the next, even the ones with simple designs and clean lettering. 

Jinsol isn’t the type of person to sit around and admire art, but this is mesmerizing in a different way. The pictures are mostly captionless, but sometimes the artist will include a sentence or two giving context to the tattoo. Jinsol is intrigued by the way each tattoo has its own special connection to the owner, how even the simplest quote or portrait can mean so much to someone. Enough that they would _ literally _ get it branded onto their bodies for eternity. Jinsol isn’t a commitment-phobe — if anything, she’s a hopeless romantic — but still, the promise of _ forever _ makes her appreciate every piece of art more. 

Jinsol stays up trawling the page well into the night, only stopping when the bright flash of her phone screen burns her eyes too much to ignore. She continues her online investigation the next morning, though, feeling the slight tug of obsession in her chest that comes with the acquisition of every new interest of hers. 

She scrolls far back enough to the point where the artist’s page seems to have been her personal one too, because there are photos of her interspersed between pictures of sketches and landscapes. Of course, it makes sense that the woman is as beautiful as the art she creates: her features are delicate and elegant, like someone drew them with lots of care, and of course every visible inch of skin is covered in ink. Surprisingly, her own tattoos are quite traditional as opposed to her own watercolour style, all arrow hearts and baby cupids, and all very contrasting to her sweet appearance from the neck up.

Jinsol’s never really understood what’s so attractive about tattooed people — hell, she’ll admit she’s judgmental enough to turn up her nose at someone with extremely visible ink. Now, though, looking at an #ootd where the woman’s crop top shows a snake circling her belly button and dipping below her waistline … maybe she sees the appeal.

After accidentally liking a selfie from twenty eight weeks ago, she figures the least she could do is put some money in this woman’s pocket and go down to the shop. She tells herself it’s just to check the place out, but if she’s being honest, she already knows what she wants to get: a blue betta fish. It’s her favorite color, and she loves aquatic animals. Even with her uncreative mind, she can imagine how pretty the shimmery fins will look in the artist’s signature style.

Unfortunately, since she has no idea who the woman is or where the store is, she’s forced to turn to Chaewon for help. As expected, Chaewon is absolutely delighted with the idea of her goody-two-shoes older sister getting a tattoo, and refuses to tell Jinsol where the artist works unless she gets to come with her. 

“After all, you wouldn’t be doing this if not for me,” she points out, and Jinsol can’t deny that fact, even though it’s said with a tad more cockiness than she’d like. To establish her dominance as the older sister she reminds Chaewon of the time she saved her _ life _ , to which Chaewon responds that it was a _ non-poisonous _spider and she wouldn’t have died, seriously, Jinsol. It’s an age-old debate between the two, and they’re still arguing about it by the time they walk through the doors of Birds of Flight Piercing & Tattoo. 

Jinsol can hear the buzz of a tattoo gun in one of the rooms, and okay, that’s a lot louder and scarier than she’d expected. A woman walks out to meet them, and although Jinsol can’t see many visible tattoos, her face has more holes than a strainer, all gleaming with rose gold jewelry. She smiles when she says “hey, Chaewon!”, revealing a little horseshoe smiley piercing.

“Hey, Sooyoung,” Chaewon says, returning the grin. “This is my sister, Jinsol. Jinsol, this is Hyejoo’s sister.”

They exchange pleasantries, Jinsol slightly distracted by her tongue stud that glints when she talks. She’s never met the elusive Sooyoung, but she can instantly see the resemblance between her and her younger sister, especially in the cool, disinterested vibe they give off. If she’s anything like Hyejoo, though, Jinsol’s willing to bet she has a heart of gold.

When Chaewon tells her that Jinsol is here to see Haseul (even her name is pretty), Sooyoung nods approvingly. “Good choice. First time?”

“Yeah,” Jinsol says, suddenly feeling awkward. 

“Well, Haseul’s with another client, but she’ll be done pretty soon. You guys can take a seat and look through the portfolios,” Sooyoung, showing to the pristine white couch. Chaewon, of course, isn’t interested in reading anything longer than 140 characters, so she chooses to pull out her phone as they wait. Jinsol finds the little book with ‘Jo Haseul’ written on it and settles back to flip through it. She’s seen most of the pictures already, but it’s different seeing the original sketches in person. Plus, there are some she hasn’t seen before, the designs so gorgeous that she surely wouldn’t forget if she had.

She’s so absorbed in the portfolio that she doesn’t even notice that the buzzing sound has stopped until a man walks out of the room it was coming from. He’s wearing shorts, and Jinsol can clearly see the large tattoo of a sunset taking up most of his leg. The skin around it is raw and red, and Jinsol winces thinking about how much that must have hurt, but reminds herself that he must be over the moon with it and it’s probably worth it to him.

While he pays at the register and Jinsol starts to realize this is going to be expensive, Sooyoung approaches them again. “You guys can go in and see Haseul,” she says, waving towards the now empty room. Jinsol stands, wiping her suddenly-sweaty palms on her jeans, and follows Chaewon who’s already bounding forwards.

It’s silly, but Jinsol’s stomach does a little flip when she sees Haseul sitting at her table inside the room. She’s dressed casually, with her hair up and circular glasses perched on her nose, but she looks beyond beautiful.

“Hi, I’m Chaewon! I was just here last week,” Chaewon says, proudly showing Haseul the tattoo.

“Oh, I remember you! It’s healing nicely,” Haseul says, standing to look at it. She’s even shorter than Chaewon, and it’s unfairly adorable. When her gaze moves to Jinsol, though, she looks guarded. “Are you her mom? Because she produced a very convincing piece of ID…”

“No! I’m her sister,” Jinsol says, mortified. Maybe it is time to ditch these mom jeans like Chaewon keeps telling her. “I’m actually here to get a tattoo of my own.”

“Oh, great!” Haseul sits back down and motions for them both to take a seat. “Any designs in mind?”

Jinsol explains what she wants, showing some pictures from Haseul’s Instagram for style references. She also shows Haseul some pictures of the fish she’d googled, and Haseul nods when she sees it.

“A blue betta,” she says. “Those are known as fighter fish, right? Any significance behind that?”

“Uh, no. I just think it’s pretty,” Jinsol says awkwardly.

Haseul shrugs. “Fair enough. That’s the reason for half of mine, too.” Although Jinsol is nervous, both because of how cute Haseul is and in anticipation of the tattoo, Haseul is great at making her feel at ease. They chat while Haseul begins some sketches on a tablet, and Chaewon gets busy looking through Haseul’s sketchbook, undoubtedly getting more ideas.

When Haseul is done with the drawing and shows it to Jinsol, her heart leaps because it’s perfect. The body of the fish is curved elegantly, like it's swimming, and it’s all soft edges and vivid colors. “I love it,” she says, itching to get it on her already.

Haseul prints it out, presses the stencil where Jinsol motions, just above her elbow. Her hands are small and soft as she disinfects the area, and Jinsol tries not to shiver at the proximity. She jumps when Haseul starts the machine, telling her she’s beginning, but soon finds that the sounds of the tattoo gun is way more intimidating than the pain. It hurts, but it’s not unbearable. Soon it fades into a dull sting, flaring up only when Haseul goes over a part again to shade.

As expected, once Haseul’s silent and concentrating on her task, Chaewon quickly becomes bored and leaves to go meet Hyejoo. Even without her as a buffer, it isn’t too awkward between them; the silence is comfortable, with Haseul humming and whistling every now and then. Jinsol wants to talk to her, but she doesn’t want to distract her from her work, so she just stays silent and stares at the pictures on the wall to pass the time. 

It takes a lot less longer than she expects — in about 45 minutes Haseul’s pulling back and wiping the area clean. “You can hop off and take a look in the mirror now,” she says, disposing of the empty ink cartridge.

Jinsol slides off the chair, heart beating, and gives a little gasp as she sees her arm in the mirror. “Oh, it’s gorgeous,” she exclaims, twisting it to see how it looks at different angles or when she flexes her arm. Her skin’s already tingling and red at the edges, but she’s over the moon with the results. It looks just as vibrant as it did in the drawing, and even more lifelike.

Jinsol pays extra attention when Haseul walks her through the aftercare, determined to take good care of it so that it stays as beautiful as it is right now. She can’t stop sneaking looks at it in the mirror, feeling an excited flutter every time she spots the blue standing proudly against her skin. 

She bids Haseul goodbye in her office, and goes to pay up front, leaving a probably excessive tip. Sooyoung coos over the tattoo, gushing about how beautiful it is, and Jinsol has to agree. She spends the whole night checking it out in the mirror, taking pictures, and beginning to put together outfits that can show it off.

Jinsol had given Haseul permission to post her tattoo, so she’s only mildly surprised when she sees her own arm gracing Haseul’s Instagram feed. She’s shocked by how many likes and comments it gets from Haseul’s dedicated fanbase, though, as well as the well-intentioned caption that makes her blush fiercely: _ happy to be Jinsol’s first! _

Jinsol looks after her new tattoo with near-religious care. It’s definitely sore for a good few days, and the itchy period drives her crazy, but when it’s healed it looks good as new. She’s gotten no end of compliments on it, too, especially at work. Being a marine biologist has many perks, including working in labs and hanging out with fish, and one of them is that her employers don’t discriminate against body art. They’re wearing lab coats that cover everything, most of the time.

Her coworker Vivi decides to go look at their options for piercings, and Jinsol offers to go with her. Just because she’s an excellent friend, of course. It’s just a bonus when she happens to see Haseul there. She isn’t busy with a customer this time, just sketching and jamming to music, but she lights up when Jinsol pops in and shyly shows her the healed tattoo.

“Whoa, it looks great!” she beams, getting up to look at it closer. “The colors stayed so nicely, wow. You must have taken really good care of it!”

“I tried,” Jinsol says, giggling and then instantly wanting to smack herself.

“Do you mind if I take another picture of it? It looks even better now, actually,” Haseul says, unplugging her earphones from her phone.

“Yeah, of course,” Jinsol says, and smiles into the camera.

“You know you’re not going to be in it, right?” Haseul says, a smile tugging at her mouth.

“Ah. Right.” Jinsol wonders why she was cursed with the inability to talk to pretty girls, but she guesses it’s both a curse and a blessing, because Haseul can’t hold back her laugh and it’s even more beautiful than her art.

Vivi doesn’t end up going for the piercing that day, but rather orders a pair of earrings and goes in to fetch them two weeks later. It’s the perfect timing for Jinsol, who’s finding that her tattoo itch is definitely not scratched. If anything, getting one tattoo only makes her want another; she keeps thinking about how Haseul looked in her rolled-up t-shirt sleeves, her entire arms covered. 

While Vivi is led into another room with Sooyoung, Jinsol walks back into that same room. “Hi! Sooyoung just told me to come right in.”

“Of course, take a seat.” Haseul turns around in her chair, and Jinsol’s greeted with that bright smile. “Oh! It’s … Jinsol, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Jinsol says, resolving internally to be enough of a regular that Haseul remembers her name. 

This time she asks for a jellyfish, using reference pictures that she took a few nights ago when she was checking out their tank. Haseul takes a little bit longer to finish the stencil for this one, explaining how their translucency makes them harder to tattoo realistically.

“We’ll figure it out, though,” she assures Jinsol, and she sticks to her word, altering the sketch until Jinsol’s satisfied with it. This one is done on the other side of her arm, and it hurts more this time, the unexpected pain making her wince.

“Those were some great pictures, though. Did you go to the wildlife center downtown?” Haseul asks over the buzz of the gun. Jinsol knows she’s trying to distract her from the pain, and she’s thankful for it because it kind of works.

“Yeah, I work there, actually,” she replies.

Haseul’s eyebrows shoot up. “That’s so cool! My sister loves that place. What do you do there?”

“I observe the sea creatures, and look after them and stuff,” Jinsol replies. She usually avoids using the words ‘marine biologist’, because then the conversation becomes about how much school she must have gone through and all the degrees she has. It’s not like she’s unnaturally smart, she’s just worked hard and is passionate about what she does. She’s sure Haseul would understand, too; she’s clearly talented, but she must practice a hell of a lot to be this good.

Despite Haseul’s concerns it looks perfect as usual, and Haseul doesn’t bother giving her the aftercare sheet this time. “Since you took care of it so well,” she says, with that smile that makes Jinsol’s knees feel weak. 

Vivi’s extremely happy with the piercing she decides to get last-minute, too. It’s a simple second lobe with little heart-shaped studs, and Jinsol doesn’t think it’s the last time either of them will be visiting the studio.

* * *

Although Jinsol loves her job, not every day is paradise. She’s had a frustrating morning trying to deal with the manta ray, who’s sulking behind a rock for some reason and refusing to come out. She’s been trying to coax him out all day to no avail; usually she’d leave him be, of course, but the families who come to the aquarium aren’t happy with the sight of the empty tank and she knows she has to at least try to bring him out so they won't complain. 

Vivi sees how frustrated Jinsol is getting and tells her to take her break, switching out with her. She leaves the aquarium area entirely, going to look at the birds while she drinks some soothing herbal tea, and after her half hour is up she feels ready to go back and deal with their problem fish.

When she walks back in, her mood is instantly uplifted when she sees that the manta ray is out and about, flapping happily through the water and pressing curiously up against the glass. She gives the tank a few affectionate taps before sidling up to Vivi, who’s watching him with pride at the back of the crowd.

“You’re a genius,” Jinsol says to her. Vivi just shrugs modestly.

“I know we’re not supposed to get them used to food-based rewards, but a little plankton can go a long way,” Vivi says. “Oh, and there’s someone waiting for you over by the seahorses.”

Jinsol raises an eyebrow, but Vivi just smiles mysteriously before announcing that she’s going to take her break now, disappearing into the employees only exit. Jinsol shakes her head and makes her way to the seahorse exhibit, thinking it’s probably Chaewon or Jungeun, her best friend.

She’s pleasantly surprised to see Haseul instead, standing next to a shorter girl who bears a striking resemblance to her. She figures it must be Haseul’s sister, the one who loves the wildlife center. It’s sweet that they’re on a family outing, and it makes her unreasonably happy that Haseul had asked to see her.

“Hey!” she says, unable to hold back her excitement as she bounds over to the two. “Have you been waiting long? I just got off my break!”

“Hi!” Haseul replies, flashing that smile like it’s not a weapon of mass destruction. “Nah, we just came over from the monkeys, and I thought I’d see if you were here. This is my sister, Yeojin.”

“Nice to meet you,” Yeojin says, momentarily tearing her eyes away from the fish tank. “Oh, you’re the one with the fish tattoos, right? Can I see?”

Jinsol’s not sure how she feels about that title, but she rolls up her lab coat sleeve anyway and lets Yeojin _ ooh _over the tattoos. The second one’s barely healed, some parts still flaking off a little, but Haseul nods when she sees it.

“It’s healing really nicely,” she says as Jinsol rolls her sleeve back down, Yeojin’s attention reverted to the animals. “Do you have plans for any more?”

“Actually, yeah,” Jinsol says brightly. “I kind of want a full sleeve.”

“Ambitious,” Haseul says, raising an eyebrow. “I think it would look badass on you.”

“T-thank you!” Jinsol says, caught off guard by the compliment. Luckily her phone beeps just then with a text from her work group chat: _ crabs are fighting again, need to be separated!! _

“I have to go back to work,” she says apologetically, shoving her phone into her pocket. “Enjoy the rest of your visit, though! I’m glad I got to see you.”

“Me too,” Haseul says, looping her thumbs through her belt loops. “Say bye, Yeojin!”

“Bye, Yeojin,” Yeojin yells, distracted by a pregnant seahorse.

“See you around?” Haseul asks, with what Jinsol wants to interpret as a hopeful tone.

“Sure thing,” she replies, before running off to deal with the crabs.

She keeps her promise, and much faster than intended too. She can’t stop thinking about how beautiful Haseul looked, bathed in the blue light of the aquarium, and by the end of the week she’s walking out of the tattoo studio with a tiny seahorse on her shoulder. 

* * *

Jinsol is lucky enough to never have experienced grief on a large scale. Her childhood dog is still alive, as are her grandparents, and she’s never had to deal with the death of someone close to her. Which is why it’s even worse when she walks into work one day to find Leftie, the goldfish with one fin, floating belly-up at the top of the tank. 

Jinsol is devastated, to say the least. It’s probably unreasonable to be this upset over the death of a fish, but Jinsol genuinely grows attached to every creature she cares for. Leftie especially, since she was there when he hatched from his egg, his one little fin flapping. She fought for him to stay in the attraction even though some of the higher-ups hadn’t wanted to keep him, and she’d watched as he became the highlight of the kids’ exhibit. Everyone loved him, especially Jinsol, and it hurt more than she’d expected to see him go.

They have a proper send-off, her and the rest of the biologists, and as soon as her shift is over Jinsol knows where she has to go. 

She’s been to the tattoo parlor enough times that she doesn’t have to call ahead for an appointment anymore. She just walks in, and Sooyoung instantly checks when Haseul is free next, which is luckily in a half hour. Haseul picks up on Jinsol’s mood instantly, her face growing somber when Jinsol explains that this tattoo is a memorial one.

“Was he a pet?” Haseul asks delicately, starting the gun. 

“No, he’s a fish at the aquarium. Well. He was.” Jinsol blinks rapidly, feeling tears start to well up. “H-have you ever tattooed yourself?”

If Haseul’s surprised by the sudden topic switch, she doesn’t show it, just plays along graciously. “I practiced on myself a lot before I got to work on other people.”

“That makes sense,” Jinsol says. “Can I see one?”

Haseul rolls back in her chair to change the ink color, and while she’s doing so, sticks her leg out for Jinsol to see. “That ladybug, there,” she says, and Jinsol can see the one she’s talking about, a small faded one on her inner ankle.

“It’s adorable,” Jinsol says, grinning despite herself. 

“I know, I did it when I was like, sixteen, maybe? My mom was so mad that I got a tattoo, but she kind of gave in after the ninth or tenth,” she says, smiling fondly as she goes back to work on Jinsol’s arm. Jinsol’s smile lingers on her face, her spirits lifted. 

As much as she likes spending time with Haseul, it’s almost painful because of how big her crush has gotten. It’s not like Haseul is making it easier on her, either. She just has to be all short and cute and sounds soft when she talks about her family and always does her best to make Jinsol comfortable. And it’s totally unfair how she has the power to make Jinsol feel so much better without even really doing anything.

They transition into light conversation with comfortable pauses, and during one of these silences Sooyoung stops by the door. “Oh, you’re still working,” she says, with a touch of surprise. “Should I go ahead and close the storefront?”

“Yeah, I’m almost done,” Haseul says, “don’t lock up, just flip the sign and close the blinds.”

“You got it,” Sooyoung says. “Any idea what bar you wanna go to? I’ve heard the Tabby Cat is good.”

“Oh, I’ve been there,” Jinsol says, and then instantly flushes at her outburst. “Uh, sorry to interrupt. It’s nice there, and you get unlimited free popcorn.”

“Okay, decided!” Sooyoung says cheerfully, then leaves to go start closing up the store. 

“Sorry I came in so late,” Jinsol says, shooting a glance at the clock. “I didn’t realize I’d be here past closing…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Haseul says, wiping away the extra ink. “Sooyoung’s so slow we probably wouldn’t be done this soon anyway. Although, maybe the promise of going out after this will kick her into gear.”

“What’s the occasion, if I may ask?” Jinsol says, curious. She tries to imagine Haseul in a loud bar setting, but really can’t. The girl is so soft-spoken and gentle, despite her intimidating look.

Haseul laughs, a little awkwardly. “It’s my birthday tonight, so of course Sooyoung’s making me go out.”

Jinsol tries not to jerk in surprise, aware of the needle buzzing against her skin. “Happy birthday!” she exclaims. “Oh, you should have told me, I’ve been raining on you all day.”

“No, not at all,” Haseul quickens to assure her. “I really don’t celebrate that much. I’d rather spend the day sketching and stuff, but Sooyoung is determined to get me wasted or make me have fun. One or the other.”

“Hopefully both,” Jinsol laughs. “You should really check out that bar. It’s more of a relaxed environment, and the wall deco is really cute.”

Haseul nods, then her expression turns complentative. “Hey, do you want to come?”

Jinsol blinks. “Come?”

“Out with us. Tonight,” Haseul adds. “Of course, you don’t have to.”

“No, I’d love to!” Jinsol says, embarrassingly honestly. “I just don’t want you to invite me just cause I’m here.”

“Don’t be silly,” Haseul says, easily. “The more people I know there, the better. Besides, it might help to take your mind off things.”

Haseul finishes just then, and Jinsol admires her work in the mirror while going over the offer. She’d be crazy to turn down spending the night at her crush’s birthday party, and Haseul is right, she doesn’t particularly want to go home and cry in bed over pictures of Leftie. She knows he’d want her to be having fun.

“Sure, I’ll come,” she says, and feels warm at the smile Haseul gives her in response.

They end up going to The Tabby Cat at Jinsol’s recommendation, and she’s relieved to find that they instantly love it, charmed by the quirky decorations on the walls (and the cheap shots). Sooyoung’s invited mostly people from her dance group that Haseul doesn’t know too well, so to Jinsol’s delight, she gets Haseul to herself for most of the night. The alcohol loosens her nervous tongue, and as the drinks flow between them, so does the conversation, natural and light.

When Haseul goes for a smoke Jinsol all but jumps at the opportunity to follow, the bar starting to get overheated the more people swarm in. It’s refreshingly cool out in the alley by the back, and Haseul looks like art in the moonlight as she lights up her smoke.

“Whoa, I’m a little more drunk than I thought,” Haseul says with an adorable giggle. Jinsol’s been pacing herself, cautious of how overly-affectionate she gets when she’s drunk, but Haseul’s been knocking them back like nobody’s business and still only seems mildly tipsy. Impressive, considering her build and stature.

“Are you having fun?” Jinsol asks. shaking her hair back to enjoy the breeze on her neck.

“Yeah!” Haseul nods enthusiastically. “Thanks for coming.”

“Oh, don’t thank me,” Jinsol says, feeling shy. “You should thank Sooyoung for forcing you out. She’s a good friend.”

Haseul grins, wide and uninhibited. “Yeah, she’s the best,” she agrees. “They say you can’t be friends with your exes, but clearly that’s not true.”

Jinsol’s heart lodges in her throat. “You guys dated?”

“I know, can you believe it?” Haseul laughs, clearly unaware of how Jinsol’s gone stiff. “It’s ancient history, but it’s still kinda funny to think about. We were a terrible fit, really.”

Haseul drunkenly chatters on as she finishes her cigarette, while Jinsol feels all too sober suddenly and wants nothing more than to leave. It’s not like she thought she had a chance with Haseul anyway, but knowing that she works with her (very hot) ex everyday and is clearly great friends with her? That’s a red flag if she ever saw one. Bitterly, she thinks how Sooyoung probably would have made a move tonight if Haseul hadn’t asked her to join. She doesn’t know whether that makes her feel better or worse.

(Worse. Definitely worse.)

She excuses herself once they go back inside, claiming work the next day.She knows it’s ridiculous to be upset over this, but she’s already emotionally exhausted from the day she’s had and this is just the straw that breaks her back. Although it was exactly what she wanted to avoid, she ends her evening in bed, staring silently at the ceiling while tears spill onto her pillowcase.

* * *

“Do you want to go back to that tattoo parlor with me sometime? I’m thinking of getting a third set of lobes.”

Vivi says this over lunch one day, and Jinsol has been dreading it even though she knows it’s been coming. She’s been avoiding the place like the plague since the night of Haseul’s birthday; it’s been close to a month and a half, the longest she’s gone in between her tattoos so far.

“Sure,” she says, forcing down a bite of her sandwich. She supposes she can’t avoid Haseul forever. She’s kind of locked herself into an unofficial sort of contract, here — she can’t imagine having an artist other than Haseul continue her sleeve. Her style is just so distinct. 

The next week finds her and Vivi returning to the studio, where they’re greeted as always by Sooyoung. She recognizes Vivi from the last time she was here, and the way she tucks Vivi’s hair behind her ear to see the healed piercings makes Jinsol’s eyebrows raise.

“Okay, Vivi, I can take you to get these piercings done now,” Sooyoung says, stepping out from behind the counter. “Jinsol, Haseul’s on her break, but she’ll be back within a half hour if you wanna wait around for her. Please do — she’s missed you.”

Sooyoung says it so casually before herding Vivi into the piercing room, but those simple words make Jinsol swoon. She would wait for days on end if it meant she could hear that Haseul missed her again.

She feels nervous as she sits in the waiting room and flips through the portfolios, like she’s waiting for a first date. When Haseul walks in, clad in her familiar flannel and jeans combination, it makes her heart leap as though she’s dressed for a ball.

“Jinsol!” Haseul says, clearly surprised. “You’re here!”

“I know, it’s been a while,” Jinsol says, suddenly shy. “I’ve been really busy at work.”

“Of course,” Haseul says, nodding. “Although, I have to say I was worried that inviting you to my birthday was unprofessional…”

“Not at all! I had fun,” Jinsol says, which is true with the addition _ up until I found out you and Sooyoung used to date and basically threw a silent hissy fit _. Just seeing Haseul makes her forget all about that, though. Besides, if the way she was flirting with Vivi is any indicator, Sooyoung definitely seems to be over her.

This time, Jinsol goes for a little squid, swimming up the line of her arm. She’s kind of running out of space, which is both exciting because it means she’s closer to a full sleeve, and sad because it means her limited time with Haseul is coming to an end. She tries not to worry about that, though, just enjoys Haseul’s soothing presence and lets herself get comfortable in their conversation.

Vivi gets her piercings done before Jinsol’s finished with her tattoo, and Haseul lets her come and stay in the room to watch. Vivi offers to hold Jinsol’s hand, but she’s definitely past the point where she needs a distraction from the pain. (She doesn’t tell that to Haseul, though, who still starts up a conversation every time she fires up the gun, in order to keep Jinsol’s mind off the needles.)

When Haseul’s done with the tattoo, both Jinsol and Vivi admire it for a good few minutes, Jinsol twisting her arm around to see how it moves. “Haseul, you’ve outdone yourself again,” Jinsol murmurs happily, wiping away some stray ink on her wrist. “Thank you so much.”

Haseul smiles bashfully. “You’re very welcome,” she says. “Just don’t go that long without stopping by again, yeah?”

Jinsol swears she hears angels sing. “Of course,” she manages to squeak out, knowing that she’s probably going to be in here every other day now that she’s heard Haseul say that. 

When they walk out of the studio after paying, Vivi imitates a whip-cracking noise.

“Don’t start,” Jinsol groans, already regretting bringing her friend.

“Come on, Jinsol. You’re _ so _whipped for her, it would be embarrassing to deny it,” Vivi says, fiddling with her new earrings. Jinsol smacks her hand away.

“No touching! And okay, fine, I have a huge crush on her, so what?” Jinsol sniffs. “I thought we established that around the third tattoo.”

“Yeah, but at this pace you’re going to have no skin left before you ask her out,” Vivi says, poking Jinsol’s side. “Just do it already!”

“It’s not that easy!” Jinsol whines. “What if I make things awkward and I can never go back there again? I’ll have to find another tattoo artist, it’ll be such a hassle…”

“That won’t happen,” Vivi assures her. “She invited you out before, right? So clearly whatever professional rules might have applied here are off the table. Besides, I think she’s into you too.”

Jinsol perks up. “Really?”

“I’m rarely wrong about these types of things,” Vivi says seriously. “Look at Sooyoung. I picked up on her obvious flirting, decided to do something about it, and now we’re going out next weekend.”

Apart from this news making Jinsol very happy, it also bolsters her confidence. Vivi’s right: if she doesn’t get it together and make a move, she’ll just be wallowing in her feelings forever. She has to just suck it up and ask Haseul out. Otherwise, somebody else will, and with a girl as wonderful as Haseul she can’t imagine she has any shortage of suitors.

She can’t wait to see Haseul again, especially knowing that she’s going to finally ask her out this time, but she knows she should wait until this tattoo is fully healed, at least. That means two and a half more weeks of Haseul running circles around her head, driving her more than a little crazy.

The next time she walks through the doors of the studio, it’s to get her largest tattoo yet: a manta ray, floating protectively above the rest of the tattoos in the blank space of her upper arm. It takes a long time, almost two hours, and Jinsol watches the progress in the mirror. Every time is more fascinating than the last, the way Haseul brings new life to her skin, filling it up with colors and details that Jinsol never would have thought of. She’s very lucky, she thinks, to have the privilege of wearing Haseul’s art on her body forever.

Jinsol manages to keep up the conversation all throughout, despite her nerves jumping. When the chatter dies down, as does the tattoo gun, she decides to go for it, straight into the deep dive.

“Haseul … do you want to go on a date with me sometime?”

Jinsol holds her breath afterwards, terrified that Haseul isn’t going to react badly, but then Haseul smiles and her breath all comes whooshing out in a gust of relief.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Haseul laughs, putting the tattoo gun aside. “You really had me thinking for a moment there you weren’t interested. Especially when you disappeared on me.”

Jinsol can feel her cheeks heat up. “I get really shy, okay!” she protests. “You won’t believe all the pep talks I had to give myself just to be able to ask you out today.”

Haseul’s smile turns into something softer. “Well, I’m really glad you did. You know, Sooyoung and Vivi have been betting on how long it would take.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Jinsol sighs. “At least tell me Vivi didn’t win.”

“She did,” Haseul whispers conspiratorially, and they both burst into laughter. Jinsol feels as light as air, grinning goofily even as Haseul starts to tidy up.

“Can I cash in this date now? My shift’s just about to end,” Haseul says, taking her gloves off.

“Of course!” Jinsol says, excited. “Where do you want to go?”

“Hmm.” Haseul touches a finger to her lips, thinking. “I might have a place in mind.”

Jinsol’s always liked the aquarium best at night time. It’s nice to walk through the exhibits all alone after closing hours, just herself and the fish. When the lights are off, the tanks are still lit up from within, casting everything in a soft blue glow.

She knows she’s not doing anything wrong — she has a key and is allowed to come and go at her discretion — but she still feels a thrill like she’s sneaking in. She supposes that’s just how Haseul makes her feel in general, like she’s a teenager again, young and carefree. It’s impossible not to be affected by her infectious energy, her face glowing with excitement as she bounds back and forth between the tanks.

Jinsol points out every fish she takes an interest in, telling anecdotes and sharing scientist gossip (which isn’t as interesting as it sounds, really). Haseul holds her hand to make her keep up, her palm tiny in Jinsol’s even as she leads her through the maze of tanks. Jinsol feels warm all over, like she’s floating through one of the heated tanks herself.

Although it’s so impromptu and casual, it’s by far the best date Jinsol’s ever been on. Everything just feels good with Haseul; she wants to cherish every moment, lock them all up inside her heart so she can peer at them later. The perfect night comes to a perfect end when Haseul kisses her under the arch tube, shimmering fish swimming in and out, curiously looking down at them. 

The touch of her lips makes Jinsol’s heart hammer harder than the first time she walked into the tattoo parlor, nervous and bright. While that feeling of newness is still there, precious and glowing in Jinsol’s chest, there’s absolutely none of the nerves. She knows, with a deep finality, that this is just right.

* * *

_ **three months later** _

“Wait! Jinsol, will you hold my hand?”

Sooyoung pulls back with a look of mild annoyance on her face. Haseul has interrupted her twice before, once for some water and then to go pee. She’s mad there are customers outside in the waiting room, otherwise she would have cussed her friend out for being such a baby.

“Jinsol, you heard her,” Sooyoung sighs, and Jinsol scoots over in her chair so she’s sitting right beside Haseul, who’s lying back in the piercing chair and looking like she’s been sentenced to death.

“It’s just an ear piercing,” Jinsol says soothingly, taking Haseul’s hand in hers. “It’ll just be a little pinch and then it’ll be over, and you’ll have the prettiest diamond in there. Right?”

“Right,” Haseul says, though she’s still squirming.

“Okay, hold still because this is happening, _ now _,” Sooyoung says firmly, approaching with the needle. Haseul screws her eyes shut, her brows furrowing, and Jinsol is in wonder at how she manages to look so cute even when her face is scrunched up in fear.

Despite her mini-freakout, when the needle pierces her skin she doesn’t make a sound, just lets a soft hiss escape between her teeth and squeezes Jinsol’s hand so hard she swears she hears something pop. Sooyoung works as quickly as she can, sliding the piercing smoothly into the brand new hole and stepping back.

“There! All done,” she says, eyeing her work with pride. Haseul stands with shaky legs to look at her new earring in the mirror, the sharp-cut diamond reflecting the light in the most beautiful way.

“That wasn’t so bad!” she says, and Jinsol laughs, approaching to hug her from behind and rest her chin on Haseul’s shoulder. 

“You could have fooled me,” Jinsol says, and Haseul smacks her playfully.

“Not all of us can be as brave as you,” Haseul grumbles. 

Jinsol laughs. “Brave? If you recall, it took me _ months _to gather up the courage to ask you out.”

“And it took me months to convince myself to get a piercing,” Haseul counters. 

“Hmm. So we’re even?”

“Even,” Haseul confirms, pressing a quick peck to Jinsol’s lips over her shoulder.

“Okay, get a room that isn’t this one,” Sooyoung says firmly, herding them both out of the room. They leave giggling, linking their hands together automatically as they walk out into the fresh autumn air. Their hands swing lazily between them, and Jinsol’s heart skips when she sees their brand new tattoos on their wrists. Haseul did them when they were both wine-drunk on her carpet: two little matching fish, one blue and one green, so that when their hands slot together the fish form a neat little circle.

Jinsol knows couple tattoos are not the brightest idea. Even if she didn’t know, Chaewon makes sure to tell her, very sternly (“I can’t believe I’m the one lecturing you about irresponsible tattoos now, god!”). Still, she can’t bring herself to regret it every time she looks at their joined hands. Just like the ink decorating both of their bodies, she has a feeling that what they have between them is permanent. 

**Author's Note:**

> [twt](twitter.com/bluejinsol) / [cc](curiouscat.me/oddeyejinsol)


End file.
